Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued the following statement today (8 August) on the persecution of members of religious minorities in Iraq:

"The murder, systematic expulsion and forced conversions of Christians, Yazidi and members of other religious minorities by ISIS terrorists in Iraq represent a new dimension of terror. We condemn these horrific crimes, which target entire ethnic groups, in the strongest possible terms.

ISIS’ actions show the extreme threat posed by this group not only to Syria and Iraq, but also to peace and stability in the entire region. Muslims who do not follow ISIS ideology are also in danger. As a preliminary emergency measure, we are providing a further 2.9 million euros in humanitarian assistance. We are currently talking with aid organisations in order to arrange further measures. We are aware that this will not be enough and that we will have to explore what else we can do.

It is also crucial that the political actors in Iraq – irrespective of whether they are Shiites, Sunni or Kurds – resolve the power struggle that has been smouldering for months and agree on a new government in order to put an end to ISIS’ activities."